Count The Days
by MK-LJR-BB
Summary: What if Angelus hadn't turned back into Angel as Wesley had thought in "Eternity" ?
1. Nineteen Days

It'd been 19 days since he'd become Angelus because of some brunette bimbo, and unlike Wesley's theory of him turning back to Angel after the drugs wore off he didn't… 19 days, and he was still Angelus. 19 days and Wes was still dead. 19 days and 'Raven' was still a vampire. 19… oh wait, it's 12:01 am, 20 days since Cordelia had felt safe… 20 days since she felt stalked… 20 days since she'd had any sleep during the nighttime hours…

As Cordelia was contemplating this, she failed to notice the soft clicking and scraping of her front door opening.

"Dennis… I think I'm losing my mind…" she sniffled.

Dennis as usual silently consoled her, carrying a tissue box through the air to her, suddenly it just plopped onto her lap… unusual…

"Thanks Dennis… just what I need, my ghost throwing things at me…"

"He can't hear you… you know that right?" a dark chuckle came from her bedroom door.

She jumped. "Angelus…" she chuckled nervously, "Of course he can't… he's dead, not deaf…"

"You see this pretty little thing," he held up a shiny stone, it looked like a giant opal almost… but that thing was huge! No way, he had an opal that big!

"What… what is that?"

"Funny you should ask… it's called a spirit stone… wanna know why?" he stepped forward, his perfect teeth set in a gleaming smile. "It's because it sucks ghost rite up into 'em… like a vacuum cleaner for ghost!" he chuckled. "Sooo… no more Dennis for right now… just me and little ol' you… ahh Cordie… it's so nice to be back with an old friend…" he sat on the edge of her bed forcing her to recoil her feet, "Remember all the fun we had in Sunnydale?" he smiled wider.

"Fun? FUN! You call stringing up Willow's fish and leaving them in an envelope for her, fun? You call snapping Jenny Calenders neck, fun! You call nailing a puppy to Buffy's door, FUN! Or torturing Giles, FUN? You call me finding out my boyfriend was cheating on me with the mousy girl who was supposed to be my best friend, and getting thrown on rebar because of it! FUN! Then yeah, I guess we had a friggin' ball! God for a vampire you're stupid…" she scoffed.

"Hmm, kitty got claws…" he chuckled. "So I take it acting wasn't the only reason you left Sunnydale for LA… could it perhaps have to do with little Xan…"

"Shut up! Shut up rite now!" she slapped him across the face without thinking… "You don't know anything about me! Mr. Soulless, and if you ever, EVER say that name again in my house! I will stake you quicker than a shish-kabob at one of my father's over-rated cocktail parties!" she fumed.

He was somewhat shocked at her passion, and that she could still be hurt by that little vagrant… he'd make Harris pay for that later… but he was really stunned that she had smacked him… and kind of hard for a human… girl…

He growled and pinned her to the bed.

She let out a scared squeak.

"Next time you smack me… remember I'm a vampire… and I'm stronger than you…" he said it almost like a lovers secret… almost…

"Next time you dare to insult me… remember what you said… kitty… got… claws!" she dragged her nails across his left cheek from eye to chin, causing him to retreat backwards with an angry hiss.

"Damn!" he pinned her again, this time holding onto her slim wrists, "you would make an interesting vampire…" he watched her face while instead of filling with fear it filled with frustration and anger, as she desperately tried to free herself from his grasp.

"Keep squirming… I kinda like it…" he chuckled next to her face blowing hot air into her ear, causing her to shiver against her will…

"Stupid vampire…" she muttered.

"What was that Cordie… I didn't catch it all…"

"STUPID… VAMPIRE… Catch it now caveman?"

His grip tightened painfully, causing her to let out a small cry followed by a whimper.

"What did you just call me?" he gritted out.

"A… a vampire? Are you really mad about that? Cause if so you should've thought about that before making such a drastic life change…"

He shook her, "No you smart mouthed little bitch, after that…"

"A… a caveman?" she barely whispered.

He vamped out, ok not on such good territory here…

"If you ever call me that again I will bite into your throat so you choke on your own blood as I'm sucking it out of you till you die a slow and agonizing death…" he gently dragged his fangs across her collar bone, it actually kinda tickled, "Understand?" he now looked at her with his human face, smirk free and all stony.

"Uh-huh…" Cordelia could barely breathe from the fear of the situation.

"Good girl…" he whispered gently to her.

She stared at him intently, trying to figure out what he was going to do next, as he simply stared back at her just as intently as she was.

He finally spoke, "Leave your door unlocked tomorrow…" he whispered gently in her ear, so gently it tickled. "I'll be back…"

He then rose off of her, leaving her in such a stunned state that she didn't move and barely breathed.

"Sweet dreams… darling…" he added with a low chuckle.

And with that he left… with her Dennis…


	2. Three Days

It had been 3 days since Angelus had broken into her apartment. 3 days since she'd felt comfortable in her own home. 3 days since she'd been able to talk to Dennis. 3 days… since she'd slept…

She was at the grocery store; at night… she knew… not the smartest thing in the world… especially after she didn't follow his instructions on leaving the door to her house unlocked. She knew if he figured it out… he'd kill her… or worse.

She had to grab one more item before she checked out… now… where was that aisle that had the soup?

"Shopping for me lover?" a soft whisper came from directly behind her ear.

She spun on her heel whacking Angelus in the chest with a bag of rice.

When she realized whom she'd hit, she dropped the rice back in her cart and threw her hands up to her face.

"Oh God!" she made him fall on his butt, "Angelus… are you… are you okay?" she went to help him up and he pulled her down to him with a growl.

"Oww… what the hell is wrong with you! You stupid overgrown vampire!" she smacked his arm.

Angelus barked out a laugh, "Oh Cordelia… you've forgotten about being mad at me? So quickly? You really are a wonder…"he pressed her to him.

"Get off of me you stupid mosquito, CAVEMAN! Urrggggh!" she shoved off of him and went back to her cart, "I have more shopping to do… so torture someone else for now!" and with that she shoved her cart off… that is until he grabbed her by the elbow and slammed her cart into the wall smashing her into the handle of it.

She hissed at the sharp pain.

"I told you…" he gritted into her ear, "Never! EVER! Call me that… again." He shoved off her elbow.

"I'll be waiting for you, up front…"

3 days since she given a shit if she lived… or died…


	3. Two Days

It had been 2 days since he'd "walked" her to her car at the store and 2 days since Los Angeles was the first place for vampires to go public with their existence… now all over the world, vampire were springing up like daisies… well, more like zombies… but still… Angelus paved the freaking way!

With the help of, no other than, Lilah and Lindsey from the Wolfram and Hart law firm…

It had been 5 days, almost 6 since she'd had Denis to keep her safe… now with all these vampires on the loose she just kept telling herself not to make any new friends…

But what good would that do? Their leader? The Hitler of all vampires had access to her apartment… maybe she should move…

No... She couldn't do that to Denis… to Angel… to herself…

5 days since she cared if she lived 1 more day or not…

And strangely 2 days since she'd seen Angelus…

She wasn't stupid enough to think he would forget about her and move on, which worried her even more that he hadn't been by for another visit… it meant he was up to something. He was either planning something for her, or for Los Angeles.

Was it bad if she hoped it was for L.A.?

When she heard a shuffling at her front door she knew instantly she was wrong, it was being planned for her… great.


	4. Four Days

It had been 4 days since he'd taken her from her apartment… 4 days since she'd been sitting on a dirty floor with her arms above her head hanging from long strands of chains that were hooked onto the pipes in the ceiling.

4 days since she'd seen the fanged bastard that put her in this hole… this hole that looked vaguely familiar…

"You don't recognize it… do you?" he strolled in, his hands tucked in his pockets.

"No…" she grunted. "Should I?"

"No… none of us ever came back… not since the mayor was destroyed… besides, I think you were only ever here once… and I believe it was to kill me…" he strolled casually towards her, then crouched down onto the floor in front of her.

He stroked back her hair gently out of her face, and held her cheek in his hand… "It's my mansion in Sunnydale, you remember… Buffy sent me to Hell just downstairs?"

"How could I forget… you should have stayed there." she croaked.

He burst with laughter, "Ever the sarcasm with you Cordelia… you'd make an interesting vampire…"

"No really… I wouldn't… I can tell you right now how it would go…" she turned out of his hand, and continued. "I would kill you the first chance I got, take over all vampire-kind and rule like Akasha in Queen of the Damned… without the dying in the end… I'd be a bitch…"

He chuckled and shook his head, "Trust me… you… would not be able to kill me…"

"Really? Wanna test that theory? Find me some wood and let me out of these chains for like two minutes… that's all I need… really I promise!" she smiled sweetly.

He chuckled again, "Cordy, Cordy, Cordy… haven't you learned yet?"

She looked at him like he had three heads, "What…"

"I like playing games…" he chuckled, "So please… keep playing them with me…"

He stood up, and to her surprise began to un-cuff her wrists from the chains. Then he stood back.

"Well come on then… kill me…"


	5. One Day

It had been one day since he had told her to kill him… one day since she picked herself up off that filthy floor and bum rushed him. She had him down and just beat him till she couldn't anymore.

He made no move to stop her, simply waited until she tired out then picked her up and slung her over his shoulder and walked out of the room to another more close off one, where he promptly dropped her on the floor and locked her inside.

She was too tired to cry, too tired to wonder if anyone would miss her, too tired to worry about Angel's soul anymore let alone her own…

She just sat in the dark corner, knees curled up to her chest, staring out into the empty room. This was her life now. Vampires ran free and she was there leaders plaything.

The worst part is he wore her best friends face, so she couldn't hate him… she feared she could never kill him.

Now she understood how Buffy felt, no matter how bad it got… she stilled loved him…

It'd had been one day since she'd completely lost her sanity.


End file.
